Nagoya sumo basho is broadcasting online as NHK boycotts

Fed up with lack of live coverage of the Nagoya sumo basho? Not interested in watching NHK’s stretching tips instead?

The Japan Sumo Association may be under fire over a scandal where several dozen sumo wrestlers were involved in baseball gambling believed to be linked to gangs, but it has something up its sleeve for you: live online streaming of the matches the state broadcaster isn’t broadcasting, for free.

The association actually began streaming matches on its site as long ago 1996. But in anticipation of heavier demand than usual, it beefed up its server capacity to 30 times usual levels in case of a surge. A handy foresight, given the site is being hit 10 times more than before NHK began its boycott of the Nagoya tournament, which began last Sunday.